Organism Interactions and Populations
Type of interaction where one benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed?
Commensalism
Difference between food chain and food web?
food chain: linear
food web: complex/made of many food chains
Give an example of an abiotic factor.
sunlight, water, soil, temperature, etc.
What are the three types of symbiotic relationships?
mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism
Primary source of energy for ecosystems?
sunlight
Organism that feeds on plants?
Herbivore/primary consumer
Name of organisms that are essential for cycling matter?
decomposers (break down dead organisms and waste)
Importance of biodiversity?
ecosystem stability
What is the vocab word for the variety of all living things and their interactions?
biodiversity
List two organisms other than plants that are primary producers.
algae, kelp, some bacteria
Importance of keystone species in an ecosystem?
Maintain balance (keep ecosystem stable)
Example of an organism in the primary consumer trophic level?
any herbivores: elephant, parrots, rabbits, butterflies, etc.
Difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
biotic: living
abiotic: non-living
Word for a group of similar organisms that can reproduce together?
species
List three organisms that would be considered decomposers?
fungi, worms, some insects, some bacteria
Difference between mutualism and parasitism?
Both benefit (mutualism) / One benefits, one harmed (parasitism)
Does the amount of energy available increase, decrease, or stay the same as you move up the trophic levels?
decrease
What are organisms competing for in an ecosystem?
resources (like space, mates, food, etc.)
Grass, algae, and trees are all examples of ...?
primary producers
Which way do the arrows point in a food web/chain?
in the direction of energy flow: toward what is eating it
Type of interaction where one organism hunts and consumes another?
predation
Which trophic level is the basis of the food chain?
primary producers (1st Trophic Level)
What are the two names of the 5th trophic level (the level made of organisms that don't really have a predator)?
Quaternary Consumers / Apex Predators
What are the different positions in a food chain/web called?
trophic levels
If tertiary consumers have 3 units of energy available, how much do the primary producers have available to them?
3,000 units of energy